Murong Hai took a step forward, not speaking further as he transmuted his Inner Qi. The Essence Qi of Heaven and Earth wrapped itself around him, continuously spinning, transforming into watery serpents before he struck with his palm.
"Surging Wave Palm Technique! I didn't expect Murong Hai to master this technique," someone quietly gasped in surprise from the crowd behind.
Surging Wave Palm Technique, a third- tier Martial Study!
Usually, only those who've reached the third tier of the Gang Qi Realm can resonate with Heaven and Earth, using the Essence Qi as a means of attack. The fact that Murong Hai could display this proves that he has reached this realm, and begun to try cultivating Gang Qi.
From that moment on, many of the students vying for a place in the top ten saw Murong Hai as a formidable enemy.
"Though we are both in the Qi Realm, I have fully reached the True Qi Great
Accomplishment while you have only just begun and not fully adapted to it.
You can only handle opponents like Wei Hang," Murong Hai confidently stated.
The truth was, he had already reached the True Qi Great Accomplishment a year ago. If it weren't for his soaring ambition to strive for the limits of True Qi, he would've started to refine his True Qi early on.
"Surging Wave Palm Technique, eh? Quite an impressive Martial Study!" Pei Xuanjing looked at Murong Hai, a faint smile on his face. He added, "Coincidentally, I too know the same technique. Why don't you try my Surging Wave Palm Technique?"
No sooner had his words fallen, Pei Xuanjing pushed out a palm. The Essence Qi transformed into a roaring water dragon that hurtled towards Murong Hai, its unstoppable force akin to a True Dragon emerging from the sea.
Boom!
The roaring water dragon easily shattered Murong Hai's water serpents, then, without losing any of its momentum, slammed directly into Murong Hai. Despite his desperate attempts to defend himself, it was futile. He was directly thrown several yards back by the water dragon, slamming onto the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood as he sustained injuries.
"How is this possible!" Murong Hai ignored his injuries, his eyes filled with shock at Pei Xuanjing.
He had considered his successful cultivation of the Surging Wave Palm Technique in the Qi Realm as his trump card. His intention was to amaze and astonish everyone with his show of power, thereby securing a spot in the rankings.
Yet, to his surprise, his opponent not only knew the Surging Wave Palm Technique but had also mastered it to the point of turning water waves into a water dragon.
This outcome almost shattered his pride and left him in disbelief.
Pei Xuanjing just smirked and stayed silent. He had observed and learned from countless Martial Studies techniques throughout his journey. As such, he could easily learn any skill, even if he had only seen it once.
However, he had no interest in explaining this to his opponent. He averted his gaze and moved away.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing ignore him, Murong Hai's face turned green with anger. But as his skills were not up to par, he ultimately had to leave the field with a heavy heart.
At this moment, everyone's eyes fell on the lone figure in the Practice martial arts field, with no doubts about his strength.
Even though many were prepared for Pei Xuanjing's victory, they had hoped for a fierce and tense battle rather than such an easy defeat of his opponent.
It's important to remember that even though Murong Hai only demonstrated one move, his skills could place him not just in the top twenty, but even possibly the top ten.
Once again, Pei Xuanjing turned to the others and calmly asked, "Anybody
No sooner had his words died than another challenger emerged from the crowd.
Alas, he was defeated in a single blow.
Subsequently, three more men stepped up, all were beaten, adding to the two previous ones, making five consecutive contenders defeated by Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing continued, "I'm standing right here; anyone who wants to challenge me, feel free to. Even if you all come at once, I don't mind!" Even if you all come at once, I don't mind!
His words caused uproar among the crowd; it was a blatant provocation.
A few familiar faces in the crowd glanced at each other and stood up together.
The strength that Pei Xuanjing had shown had made these people feel troubled about how to respond.
Now that he had proclaimed such arrogant words, they saw an opportunity. They decided to join forces against him, intending to eliminate a competitor and teach Pei Xuanjing a lesson, hoping to cost him a spot in the top ten.
As the five challengers entered the field, intent on introducing themselves, Pei Xuanjing didn't seem interested. He merely hurled a punch with an overwhelming force directly at them.
Boom!
Strings of sounds rang out as these five men were tossed aside by Pei Xuanjing almost immediately after they had stepped into the field, before they could even finish speaking.
Another loss!
This time, even the joint attack of the five men failed to withstand even a single move from Pei Xuanjing.
Even though Pei Xuanjing had caught them off guard, it was clear there was a considerable gap between them. Even though they were five men working together, they were no match for him.
"Any more challengers?"
When Pei Xuanjing spoke this time, there were no responses from the crowd. The arena fell into silence and even the VIPs from the major powers attending the event went quiet. The strength Pei Xuanjing displayed exceeded all their expectations, it was unprecedented.
Of course, they didn't think there were no real competitors who could match Pei Xuanjing. Those people hadn't made their move yet. It wasn't because they didn't dare, but because of the rule changes that gave rise to hesitation. After all, with Pei Xuanjing's strength, they too couldn't lightly claim victory. Even those confident in their own abilities had to consider the possibility of mutual defeat alongside Pei Xuanjing, only to be taken advantage of by someone else.
It should be noted that not only does the top five in this exam represent the honor of competing in the Capital's Grand Contest, but there are also countless hidden benefits. This meant that the top ten would receive key training and more cultivation resources from Yunzhong County.
Seeing that no one responded for quite a while, Pei Xuanjing thought for a moment and understood the other's considerations. If he were in their shoes, he would certainly not like to pave the way for others.
He shook his head faintly, finding it somewhat dull.
Just when the field seemed to become a stalemate, the place sank into a silence.
At this moment, a strapping youth spoke aloud, "Young Master Pei's skill is extraordinary. And I too have been eager to compete, but I can't bear to give up on a spot in the top five. After all, for us, it's an opportunity that we cannot miss."
This youth was named Shi Feng, one of the strongest in this competition. As per Mr. Pei Laozhu, he should be one of Pei Xuanjing's competitors.
Of course, this was only Mr. Pei Laozhu's assumption.
Regrettably, none of the potential competitors suggested by Mr. Pei Laozhu stepped forward in the previous challenge. Now, as Shi Feng suddenly stood up, Pei Xuanjing, with all his experience, could guess his intentions. So he looked at him with interest, waiting for him to continue.
Seeing his words pique Pei Xuanjing's interest, Shi Feng confidently smiled..
Shi Feng raised his voice and continued, "If I compete with Young Master Pei, there is inevitably a possibility of mutual casualties, and then some unqualified people will benefit from it." while speaking, his gaze seemed to flick over some individuals in the field.
The crowd's expressions varied, seemingly lost in thought.
After pausing, Shi Feng continued, "It would be better if we teamed up and eliminate the weak ones first, secure the top five spots, and then compete with all our might. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
Upon hearing this, the faces of those who originally planned to reap benefits without much effort changed drastically. This was like nipping their last hope in the bud.
"Brother Shi was right." said Ling Yun, another man on the platform.
"I also agree with Brother Shi's plan." the stunning Hua Die Wu voiced her agreement.
Several others also expressed their agreement. All of them had absolute confidence in their abilities and believed they would be among the final five.
"What does Young Master Pei think?" Shi Feng laughed and looked at Pei Xuanjing.
I knew it!
Pei Xuanjing thought to himself that Shi Feng may seem reckless, but he actually pays attention to many little details. It was clear that his proposal was not impulsive.
From the immediately agreed upon proposal by several others, it was apparent that this was not only his plan, rather a consensus amongst them.
However, Pei Xuanjing did not mind. After all, he didn't like the situation where he would fight tooth and nail while some were seated high, leisurely waiting to reap benefits.
Before Pei Xuanjing could respond, a voice from the crowd spoke up.
"Does Brother Shi think he can take us all on? Aren't you afraid of provoking our wrath?"
Following the voice, Shi Feng did not immediately locate the speaker, he laughed boldly and said, 'Martial arts cultivation upholds the strong. If anyone disagrees, feel free to step forward. If anyone can eliminate me, why not?" After speaking, he looked around with confidence. For some reason, the field
reli sment.
People respected the reputation he had built, it was not out of ignorance that Shi Feng dared to utter such words. Despite being only twenty-five years old, he had fully matured in the Qi Realm, standing on the verge of entering the third stage. His talents were top-notch among the entire Yunzhong Academy.
"If you don't even have the courage to make a move, it's disappointing. In that case, you may as well step out early and don't waste any more time." Shi Feng stepped forward, punching several people around him without hesitation.
"Exactly! "
"I also think it should be like this."
The moment Shi Feng made his move, others on the stage also moved, beginning to eliminate the contestants nearby.
"Master Gu, it seems these disciples are extraordinary, aren't they?" On the stage, someone said to Gu Yunshan with a laugh.
Gu Yunshan modestly replied, "They're just showing a bit of intelligence, it's nothing big."
For the higher-ups in Yunzhong such as Gu Yunshan, they didn't reject such occurrences during the competition. In fact, they were somewhat pleased.
Strength dominates in martial arts cultivation, which is not wrong. However, cultivation should not blindly challenge the strong. First, they should stabilize their own strength, and then gradually progress. This could also be counted as a wise move.
However, just when everyone thought this was the case, an unexpected event occurred.
Boom!
Unexpectedly, Pei Xuanjing burst out with a palm to stop their actions.
"What does Young Master Pei mean?" They looked puzzled at Pei Xuanjing, with a hint of hostility in their eyes.
Pei Xuanjing chuckled, "Your plan is very good. Unfortunately, I don't have the idea to fool around with you."
Hearing Pei Xuanjing refer to their plan as fooling around, their faces changed and they flew into a rage.
Stepping forward, Pei Xuanjing said coldly, "Moreover, I made the rules. What qualification do you have to break my rules!"
While their thoughts might be commendable, Pei Xuanjing really didn't feel like playing along with them.
Having said that they were all challenging him together, who gave them the courage to change his rules?
Boom!
At this moment, the aura released from Pei Xuanjing, who had been in a high position for decades, caused the complexions of these people to change drastically, and some of the weaker ones even started to sweat from their foreheads.
They felt the terrifying aura erupting from Pei Xuanjing, and their hearts trembled.
Hiss!
This kid is overbearing.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing behaving so arrogantly, the major power leaders of Yunzhong County who were watching couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.
The Dean of Yunzhong Academy, Gu Yunshan, also couldn't help frowning, looking at Mr. Pei Laozhu next to him. He thought to himself, no wonder this is Pei's breed. Such overbearing nature is certainly passed down from the same line.
Mr. Pei Laozhu turned a blind eye to the gazes of others, looking at Pei Xuanjing's figure, he couldn't help showing a triumphant expression.
Shi Feng and the others were furious. As geniuses themselves, even though they recognized Pei Xuanjing's talent, they were angry to be looked down upon by him.
"Come on!" Pei Xuanjing laughed lightly.
Several people hesitated. if they all attacked at once, it would seem a bit unfair even if they won.
However, Pei Xuanjing didn't hesitate the same way. While his smile remained, he started attacking without any hesitation.
With each step, a burst of strong momentum erupted from him, punches and kicks flew, making him look like a tiger in a pack of wolves. Each time he attacked, someone was sent flying out of the practice martial arts field.
The contestants, treated like prey and set to be eliminated, were furious. However, it was almost meaningless because the gap between their strengths was too great, several people were eliminated from the stage in an instant.
Although Pei Xuanjing hadn't fully recovered to his peak state and had only just entered the Qi Realm, let alone reach the ultimate perfect state of the Qi Realm, he hadn't even cultivated the 108 strands of True Qi of the minor completeness state.
After all, for Pei Xuanjing, it was a completely new cultivation realm, which required gradual experience and insight.
Despite that, the strength he showed at that moment was not something these people could resist.
His foundation was profound, and his understanding and familiarity with martial arts alone were not something these people could match.
In just the blink of an eye, the initial hundreds of participants were reduced to fewer than twenty. Naturally, these were the most powerful of this competition.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's decisive action, the others dared no longer hesitate and rushed to make their moves.
On the practice martial arts field, more than a dozen people each held their positions. After exchanging glances with each other, they almost simultaneously turned their gazes to where Pei Xuanjing was.
Ranging his eyes over these individuals, Pei Xuanjing casually said, "You might as well attack together.."
"Shameless braggart!"
With that said, Murong Shan gave a cold shout. His muscles surged powerfully, exuding Heavenly Earthly Force. With one step, the whole practice martial arts field trembled slightly.
"Mountain Suppression Palm, the palm suppresses the green mountains!"
Murong Shan thrusted his palm, carrying a force as if it could suppress mountains. This transformed into a palm print nearly ten feet in size and began to press against Pei Xuanjing. Everywhere the palm print passed, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi roared, setting off countless qi explosions.
"Nice try! " Pei Xuanjing laughed gently.
He stretched out his right hand, fingers formed into a sword gesture. With a gentle swipe in the air, an approximately three-feet-long sword qi burst forth. In that moment, everyone seemed to feel an unparalleled ferocity tearing through the heavens.
Thud!
The palm print was easily split open by the sword qi. The remaining force didn't diminish, the unmatched knife's edge continued forward. Murong Shan was entirely subjected to a tremendous impact, coughing up blood, and was blown off his feet, landing tens of feet away. If it weren't for the vastness of the practice martial arts field, he would have been eliminated.
However, the rest of those present, watching the struggling Murong Shan with his unstable aura, could clearly tell he was badly hurt, and his abilities were most likely significantly diminished from before.
The others exchanged glances. They each saw the deep fear in the others' eyes. Murong Shan's abilities were comparable to theirs, and even ranked in the higher tier among them, yet he had been defeated so effortlessly.
There came a moment of silence in the practice martial arts field. No one had expected Pei Xuanjing's abilities to have reached such an extent. Had they not witnessed his breakthrough into the Qi Realm with their own eyes just earlier, Shi Feng and the others would have believed that he had already stepped even rurtner Into tne stage or 'rrue Great Accompnsnment.
"What about you guys? Are you not going to make a move?"
In the practice martial arts field, Pei Xuanjing's smile did not waver. With his eyes sweeping over the crowd, he still appeared gentle and scholarly, but almost everyone felt the surge of his powerful aura.
In that move just now, Pei Xuanjing had clearly understood the gap in their strength. The people before him, although they could be considered talented and demonic, had simply not cultivated for long enough.
In Pei Xuanjing's view, his real opponents– even that Chu Tiange from the Da Li Dynasty– were nothing in comparison. His true opponents in this world were among those heavenly ranked powerhouses.
Just as well, since this competition had become meaningless, it should be brought to an end now!
With that thought, Pei Xuanjing gestured with his right hand, and a Hundred Tempered Longsword flew over from the weapons rack at the edge of the practice martial arts field and into his hand. As soon as the sword was in his hand, his aura drastically changed. His previously gentle demeanor instantly became sharp and intimidating, like a divine sword.
"Gentlemen, I have been pondering over this for more than a decade, creating half a set of sword techniques. If anyone among you can withstand this one stroke, I admit defeat! Now, please experience the first move: Nine Luminaries!"
This was what Pei Xuanjing had worked on over the past 12 years, apart from studying martial arts. He wanted to integrate the sword techniques he had practiced, as well as his original martial arts skills, into one complete body, creating a unique sword technique. Of course, this sword technique was only in its initial stage, and only three moves have been deduced.
As his voice fell, the Hundred Tempered Longsword in his hand began to hum, and a sharp aura started to seep from his body. This aura seemed to be invincible, as if it was meant to sever everything.
Hmm?
Atop the high platform, Mr. Pei Laozhu's eyes lit up. At the same time, surprise appeared on the faces of Guo Yi and Gu Yunshan. They almost simultaneously uttered, "Sword intent!"
Sword intent!
Unexpectedly, this Pei Xuanjing had grasped the Sword intent! The people on the high platform exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock. For Pei Xuanjing, just releasing a fraction of his intent was enough to deter everyone.
It's worth knowing that in terms of the comprehension of the martial arts realm, Pei Xuanjing had far surpassed everyone else, probably only those heavenly rank powerhouses in this world could match him.
The first sword, named: Nine Luminaries.
When Pei Xuanjing used this move, even though he was only holding an ordinary Hundred Tempered Longsword, the strength he exhibited had left everyone in awe.
As the longsword slashed through the sky, a crisp ringing sound echoed. Then, upon the ordinary sword blade, nine celestial body illusions appeared. The nine celestial bodies connected together, echoing each other, their aura soaring through the heavens.
Although it was still daylight, almost everyone seemed to see nine celestial bodies faintly twinkling in the sky, and stars falling, merging into the sword.
Next, Pei Xuanjing just waved in the air, a ten-foot-long sword qi howled out, instantly transformed into several blade shadows, rushing towards everyone on the field.
In the field, the ten-plus people could all feel an intangible Heavenly Earthly Force descending. The awe-inspiring heavenly majesty pressed down out of thin air, covering them. Their faces changed drastically as they each used their unique skills to deal with the oncoming blade shadows.
"Guo Yi, what do you think of this sword?" Mr. Pei Laozhu suppressed the astonishment in his heart, smiled and asked Guo Yi who was next to him.
Truth be told, even though he had great faith in Pei Xuanjing, he was clueless about what Pei Xuanjing had achieved in his twelve years of pondering.
Now that he saw the sword Pei Xuanjing had executed, it had gone entirely beyond his expectations.
"At the same realm as me, I wouldn't be able to resist!" After a moment's pondering, Guo Yi opened his mouth to speak with a bitter smile.
If it had been earlier, if he and Pei Xuanjing were both in the same realm, their strength would probably not exceed each other's; without reaching the final moment, the outcome would be uncertain, even if the latter had already mastered the sword intent.
However, when he saw the sword technique that Pei Xuanjing had created himself, Guo Yi felt a bit overwhelmed.
To be clear, even if one mastered the intent, they could only execute a martial arts technique to its fullest. But for those who had created a technique, it was not just about that when they executed it.
He directed his gaze at the extraordinary Pei Xuanjing on the practice martial arts field. Deep in his heart, he thought: it seems that another unparalleled swordsman has emerged in the world.
In the practice martial arts field, in the face of Pei Xuanjing's nearly invincible sword, the dozen people could only resist with all of their strength. At this moment, their abilities were instantly revealed.
After the sword pass!
In the practice martial arts field, more than a dozen people had all been directly eliminated, falling below the field. Only Pei Xuanjing was standing.
And his long sword, unable to withstand Pei Xuanjing's sword intent, disintegrated into dust.
In the vast practice martial arts field, only Pei Xuanjing stood there with his hands behind his back, his aura sharp and intimidating, causing everyone present to dare not look directly at him.
Pei Xuanjing smiled lightly, ignoring all else, and turned to return to the Pei Mansion.
[At fifteen years old: Your swordsmanship reached great accomplishment, created a sensation at the Martial Arts Competition in Yunzhong City, and no one among your peers can match you.]
As the saying goes, "Still for three years, only to make a stunning move; static for three years, only to fly up the sky."
Today's sword move, which suppressed all his peers, immediately spread throughout Yunzhong City, extending to Yunzhong County. His fame was chanted by countless people, and even in the plains of the Da Li Dynasty, people knew of this rising talent in Yunzhong.
Of course, nobody knew that three days after the imperial examination, Pei Xuanjing left the Pei Mansion in Yunzhong, disappearing into the Yunzhong grassland.
Ten years in the making of the sword, today the blade is tested..